The Ubiquitous Halloween Mixtape

Today's Halloween. I was going to dress up as Ian Curtis, but I decided against it because it's extremely disrespectful. Plus, nobody besides the few vinyl nerds in my town would have known who I was. Costume drama aside, Halloween's great. It's an excuse to get wasted and have sex with that co-worker you've been crushing on since your first day on the job. Or if you're not over 21, you get to knock on stranger's doors and beg them for candy and pray to Walla that they haven't laced it with razorblades or LCD (certainly, I can't be the only one still worrying about that...). Doesn't that just sound like a blast?! I know!

Here's a mix to go along with all your enthusiasm. You know I'm in a good mood when I share a rather obscure Matt Sharp remix with you guys. Click the tracklist for the .zip file:




this horse is wild,
Summer

The true meanings of lyrics. Who knows?

AATS loves to expand its community - as lets face it - Summer, Lucy, Eloise and I only know so much music (vast in all its glory, it isn't infinite).
So here's a piece from trust old Daniel from Melbourne.
be nice now


Stella was a diver and she was always down - Interpol

At the bottom of the ocean she dwells
At the bottom of the ocean she dwells
Her caresses caressed by fingers
And fat blue serpent swells

Stella, Stella, oh Stella
Stella I love you, Stella I love you, Stella I love you


(There's something that's invisible,
There's some things you can't hide
Try detect you when I'm sleeping
In a wave you say goodbye . . .)

the rest of the lyrics can be found here

If anyone knows of Interpol and this sensual song it would help, if not, educate yourself on this topic. Interpol is a Post Punk band whom break the clichés of bands such as Blink 182 and others. This song is one of those idealistic songs nearly every band has, the song everyone loves but was never a single, and that just makes the song better.

As I was trawling the Internet in an attempt to continue my procrastination I decided to go to this website and look at this profound song and what other people believe is its meanings. As many would know my love for music is mostly through its lyrics, so read through the comments, they were a little out there such as “this is about a whore” or “this song is about his addiction to alcohol” ok I can understand. I believe it’s about a socially awkward woman the lead singer is attempting to coax into coming out, and in the end he loses her because she commits social suicide.

But I was shocked as I read on that people were saying it was about “him having oral sex with a prostitute and then killing them” or “its about a prostitute slitting peoples throats and throwing them into a river”. MY GOOD GOD! I couldn’t comprehend this, it takes a lot for me to be shocked when it comes to lyrics as I keep as much of an open mind as possible, and yes it could quite be about a murdering prostitute but how can someone dislocate so far from the lyrics to come to this comprehension?

So I ask you out there! To try and nut out these overtly sexual and sea obsessed lyrics. I am open to all opinions I am just a little too wary of a “murderous prostitute robot from the future who looks like Bill Bailey!!!!” (ok I made the last one up)

Artichoke Heart Souffle

After a girl I now refer to as Chicken Little Soup kept harassing all of MySpace to check out a band called Artichoke Heart Souffle, I finally gave in, clicked on the link and decided to check them out.

Oh, droogs, I've fallen in love. You know how you have that one favourite song and whenever it gets played in a supermarket or something, you kind of melt and instantly want to sing along no matter how many strange looks people give you? Every single Artichoke Heart Souffle song has that effect on me. I sat here for twenty minutes trying to figure out a way to describe them but every thing I type makes me sound like a twelve year old girl trying to describe why she loves Nick Jonas. There's just too many things that I love!

Almost every record that I bought this year is super depressing (and that's saying a lot considering I have a Radiohead tattoo), but their new EP, "Who You Know", is the exact opposite of that. Stacy and Brad Michelson have written some of the smartest and catchiest songs I've heard in a really long time. It's a welcome change to have people writing and singing about falling in love and having crushes and all that stuff that my music collection seems to be lacking. The second I pressed play and I heard Brad sing the opening line of "Fell in Love at the P.O.", I knew I had just found my new favourite band. The rest of the EP is great and it'll take you days to get "Don't Confuse This" (produced by Sara and Tegan's official shaker, Hunter Burgan) and "Doctor" out of your head. Literally, days. You'll be falling asleep and you'll hear the opening of "Another Cuppa Tea" and then you'll have to run to your iPod and listen one more time to get it out of your head. True story, right there!

Bands like Artichoke Heart Souffle are the exact reason I agreed to do this blog; they're at that point where they just need an extra bit of love from bloggers like us to help them reach a bigger audience. I for one, am ready and willing to pimp the hell out of them until that happens. And I'm willing to bet my An Horse ticket that after you hear them, you will too.

You can buy their oh-so amazing EP and their self-titled record on iTunes or if you're one of the few people left on the planet who still like actual CD's, you can buy them over at CD Baby for a ridiculously low price. While you're at it, how about you send them a friend request on MySpace? That'd be lovely of you.

sail safely everyone (and VOTE goddamnit!),

Summer

PS: My childhood hero, Ed Templeton, has a new Emerica shoe out and Stacy is on it. This kind of makes me want to start skating again.

Cheer Up, Emo Kid!

You know how sometimes you're sad for absolutely no reason? For example, you start crying when you're reading the US Weekly article about Madonna getting a divorce even though you can't stand Madonna. Do you know what I'm talking about? Sara Quin All of our girl readers (yes, all two of you!) might call this "femotion", but personally, I call it "fun". It's fun to be sad because you get to listen to sad music and make sad mixtapes for all your sad friends. And what's funner than that?!

I will admit though that this is an extremely depressing mixtape- probably the most depressing one that I've made since my freshman year in high school. I actually wasn't going to post it because I didn't want to spread the sadness (not that it's an STD or anything..), but a friend of mine recently posted this brilliant blog about why it's necessary to cry and be sad, so I went against my better judgement and decided to upload it for you lovelies.

You can download the ten songs in a .zip file by clicking the below tracklist:



love to you and yours,
Summer

PS: My favourite band on the planet, AN HORSE have recently released they're absolutely brilliant debut record entitled "Rearrange Beds"! You can purchase it on iTunes as of right now or you can wait (obviously, I couldn't) and catch one of their shows and buy a physical copy of the cd at the merch table. A review of the record will be posted as soon as I figure out a way to describe it other than "fucking amazing".

PSS: As I was uploading this mixtape for you, I came to the conclusion that I don't have anything to be sad about. Two seconds later, I realized that the oh-so amazing and talented Rachael Cantu is playing her last show in LA this coming Sunday. Why am I sad about that? Because it's 21+ and I'm not even legal yet nor am I cool enough to pull a McLovin'. So for all of you LA kids (Chicken Little Soup, I'm talking to you), please go to the show and overhead clap for me.

Before You Knew

A mixtape by Ronan. (to begin immediate download click the picture below)
As most of you will know- this is my first mixtape so be nice.
I decided that i wanted to make one a while ago - but never really got round to it.

I called it "Before You Knew" because its about how you feel before everyone knows something, anything, about you.
With a little lyrical interpretation - it's a tape about emotional suppression (yes thats a fancy way of saying in basic 'keeping secrets'), and how it feels to keep them.
Personally - these songs all remind me of how i felt before i came out, when you're confronting your problems by yourself and when you're afraid of telling people.
Some songs express how that feels, others sum up what's going on, others are the happier songs which get you through it but they're all relative - or so i think, im probably just adding my own interpretation to something that i didnt write - but hey, interpretation never hurt anyone! (cough >_<).
If you have your own secrets, or maybe not even secrets - just something you don't want to tell anyone, and if its driving you some sort of crazy. then the mixed emotions contained in the songs on this mixtape should all make perfect sense.

Otherwise - they're all really great songs and you could benefit to listen to it.
Some are a bit cheesy and/or popular, but i think if its written well it doesn't matter how many inebriated 13 year old girls listen to it.

This is the track-list - click the picture for the link to the download. (excuse the handwriting - if its too unclear just ask me. or alternatively - get fu**ed)
I hope you like it and enjoy :D
~Ronan

The Accidental (see...study can bring good things)

Hello readers! I figure it’s about time I did something to deserve the honour bestowed upon my by having my name included in the profile thingy on the side. I know it been a while, and trust me, I have missed you as much I you have missed me! (not much that is! HAHA! ….I hope I am joking…) but with my exams creeping ever closer my time has become limited as I contemplate how much study I should have done a long, long time ago. But enough about that, it is boring. What I really wanted to talk to you about was this album that I got myself as a little “well done, you have done so much study you deserve a reward!” reward. Actually, there have been quite a few of these little “rewards” lately, but many of them have turned out to be rather un-fantastic (which is probably a sign that I hadn’t really done enough to deserve it in the first place) but there is one that I just love love love and no doubt all you cool kids already know about it, but I will talk about it anyway!

The album in question is There Were Wolves by The Accidental and I stumbled upon it on a little website called “Album of the Week” were every now and then the little bloggers over there listen to an album, review it, and share their opinions with all who love them! This one in particular sounded just lovely, and a nice inclusion to my “eloise’s study list” playlist, so I hopped onto utorrent (I KNOW!!! I’M SORRY!!!) and had a little listen.

I discovered, with much more joy then I had expected, my close to perfect album! There Were Wolves is comprised from 11 beautiful tracks, each of them soft and gentle, making you feel safe and loved that bring a smile to your face. The music itself is so wonderfully multifaceted, bringing together folk, acoustic and indie in perfect harmony throughout the album, with Knock, Knock getting you all excited for a dark, mysterious record, with light electronic tones thrown in, before you reach Wolves, slowly transitioning your thinking to something more relaxed and delicate, acting as beautifully carven bridge between the opening track and the rest of the songs.

I now conclude (as I am beginning to run out adjectives and synonyms for album). There Were Wolves is the band’s debut album, and I must say I can’t wait to hear what they come up with next! If you get a chance, please do listen to this album, preferably alone so you may become lost in the sweet and simplistic tunes without the intrusion of other people (goddamn them) and their incisive nagging.

Also check out these websites!

http://www.myspace.com/theaccidental

http://www.albumoftheweek.com.au

and while your at it http://thoughtsforcigarettes.blogspot.com is a cute little blog full of funnies and thoughtsies to take your mind off other, less amusing or interesting things for a while!

Eloise

the australian rediculous insignificance awards.

i try most of the time - not to be a narcissistic cynic, but when something boils my blood to its evaporation temperature, i find it hard to resist.

if you noticed my clever use of acronym in the title of this blog, you'll know that i am infact talking about the ARIA's - and australia's never ending affection for people who tell them what to listen to.

and no other award show manages to manifest my dislike for pop music quite as well.
i'd like to go about the normal fashion of blog structure and link my paragraphs, all the correct grammatical nonsense, but its more important that i get to my main point very quickly.

GABRIELLA CILME does NOT DESERVE one the nations most prestigious music awards, let alone 6.

heres the list of what she won.
highest selling single
best pop release
breakthrough album - single
breakthrough artist - album
best female artist
single of the year.

would you just take a look at that...
amazing isnt it? what being a cute, 17 year old, amy whinehouse-sound-alike can get you.
she only had ONE song!!!
now- if you've ever read my other blog, you'd be aware of my dissapointment when amy whinehouse robbed leslie feist last year at the grammys.
now imagine when someone who is like her, much younger, and without the soul, wins all the best awards.
disgusting... why didnt we all just listen to her. "there's nothing sweet about me"

its true. so stop giving her credit. there is nothing sweet about you miss Cilme. Nothing "Cool" either. (note: that was a reference to her drunked and slurred acceptance 'speaches'.) and i would have much rather seen some other people awarded.
i could go on, but its really not worth it, i think i made myself clear :)


moreover -

there are a few other problems with the awards.

since there are many - i'll list them in point form:
-the domination by the veronicas - promiscuity scores big points apparently.
- delta goodrem and Venessa Amorossiis still making records. let alone selling them?
-NAME YOUR GENRES correctly - blues and roots - is not exactly how i would categorise Angus and Julia Stone, much less nominate them for.
-if the genre is correct, then why not choose the people who belong in them.
according to me - Shane Nicholson (on of my favourite artists) and Kasey Chambers would fall into the blues and roots category, but instead, won the country award.
-and come on. i like The Presets - but album of the year??? who was responsible for that?!

but i realised something, basically i'd be pissed off no matter who won any award...
2008 hasnt exactly given the pop world much to consider, but i just wish it would consider a bit harder.
to avoid further catastophe, please...please vote in the triple A's. they're possibly going to be the best awards you'll ever see.
and the best bit, i get to influence the winners! (im joking, although it is true to an extent)

im sorry. im just ranting now.
goodbye and vote vote vote!!!
ronan

Dope Tits!

You're probably thinking to yourself as you read the title, "God, Los Angeles is really taking a toll on poor old Summer." And while you're right about that, I must say in my defense, that the only thing to do in line at a concert is act like an idiot and make up new and clever pick up lines to use on girls that are way out of your league. Today we came up with "dope tits". Feel free to use it on the next cute girl you see!

Anyways, I do have something to tell you all! Sara and Tegan have been playing absolutely flawless sets the last three nights in a row. Old favourites have been brought back (see: a reworked version of "The First" with the punk rock Bill Gates, Dallas Green) and soon-to-be-favourites are being played. Mr. Matt Sharp has joined the band onstage the last two nights in a row for the encore to sing "Dancing in the Dark" and play bass on Sara's absolutely bloody brilliant cover of Weezer's "Tired of Sex". I can honestly say that watching Matt Sharp, my second favourite musician of all time, dance around on the same stage with Sara Quin is one the most wonderful things I've ever had the pleasure of witnessing.

The girls came out today and signed things. Tegan came out first... it was a bit awkward before she finally broke the ice by complimenting my Wintersleep shirt ("their record is fucking great!"). Sara came out and I mentioned giving her the lyrics to New Kids on the Block's "Cover Girl" the previous night. Without hesitating, she excitedly said, "Oh, that was you?!!! I got that last night and was singing along as I read it! Thank you!" She then proceeded to sing me the chorus of the song and said she wanted to do a cover but was afraid she'd screw it up. We chatted a bit more about Wintersleep and Matt Sharp and how it's such a shame that people under 25 don't know who he is. Then a few of us formed a circle and listened as she got serious for a second to talk to us about gay rights and how we should tell everyone to vote no on prop 8. All this while wearing a hardhat. That my friends, is one hell of a girl.

I'll be back on Monday. Until then, sail safely and watch out for Rachael Cantu when you're standing in the middle of the road because she doesn't swerve until the veryyyyy last minute!

-Summer

PS: I'm going to tell you guys something that I've never told anyone before in my life. My favourite record to be played after dark is John Mayer's "Heavier Things".

PSS: That's going to get me so many girls. Ahahahaha.

I’ve FINALLY gotten my shit together and now have the collaborative love-tape all together wrapped up in a nice little zip-file for you all to enjoy. To download it, [CLICK HERE BABY].

I apologize for the fact that it’s taken me ages, and by the time you read this, most people would have probably already forgotten what I was talking about; if so click here to re-visit the horribly embarrassing entry which initiated this beautiful piece of sappy love-sick bonding.
If you still don’t really understand what the whole point of this collaboration idea was, don’t fret, neither do I. but if I recall correctly, I think it was an action of pure laziness and lack of creativity pathetically disguised as an attempt at an innovative project.
That said I loved hearing everyone’s suggestions (it’s lovely to receive blog comments, emails and myspace messages, even if they are just lists of song names, which have probably been sent in pity).

Anyway, enough about me, and more about this love-tape/project/collaboration thing: I actually had a page full of possible songs/tracks, but decided to whittle the list down to a nice round number of 30, that way at least a few of everyone’s suggestions were on the tape, but still it wouldn’t take like a month to download.
Well, actually that last paragraph is a lie, I got up to 30 songs and thought to myself ‘shit, this is taking ages, 30 songs will do.’ And that’s what is here for you now. You better enjoy ‘em because it actually took me an absurdly long amount of time to search, read about and download songs from each artist featured on this mixtape.

It actually was a pretty painful creation, not as painful as having a baby (I’m guessing that would be the most painful creation in the whole entire world…well, maybe not the creation of the baby, but certainly the ‘pushing out’ of what you created (which is the baby)).
I like to thing of this as my mixtape version of ‘Born To Run’ painful and at most times frustrating to make, but ultimately (hopefully) rewarding for you the greedy listener (I’m only joking when I say greedy… I cant do cynicism or sarcasm as on form as Ronan).
What the fuck am I writing about? The way I’m talking has started to sound like I have actually made something good or worthwhile, which is a complete load of crap. Oh well I’m just making up for my previous lack of blogging in the past month or so.
All I think I have left to say is this:

- if some of the songs are horribly corny I didn’t choose them (like the Haddaway or Sade tracks, which I don’t know whether they were serious or joke suggestions, but I have added nonetheless, because you know, each to their own and all that jazz.)

- However even though I’ve tried to defend any sort of cred I have, I suggest you keep an open mind when listening to some of the songs, because when it comes to sappy, self-indulgent songs of love, indie cred ain’t going to help you.

- Some of the songs don’t seem that obvious in their purpose, for example I was hesitant about the Missy Higgins song ‘wrong girl’ because I thought ‘hmm I dunno if that really works in this context’, but then after some deliberation I decided it’s a keeper, purely for the fact that simple the title ‘The Wrong Girl’ could I guess explain who I (or you) was falling for? Does that even make sense?

- my personal input was the Kaki King cover of J.T’s ‘Lovestoned’ (because it was the most perfect song in relation to how I felt at the time), Urthboy feat. Mia Dyson ‘Over Before It Began’ (because Mia’s vocals are fierce on this track) and a Ramones song or two (because…they’re awesome?). The rest of the songs are entirely your fault.


love lucy
(who wishes ronan all the best with his Italian exam next week!)

Bill Bailey.

I thought for a change that i would expand upon the "miscellaneous nothings" section of the website.
I'd like to talk to you about an extremely talented musician.(don't look at the title if you don't want me to give it away)
but he's not famous for music.
He's famous for being funny, and that guy from 'Black Books'. (hilarious i might add).

Unnecessarily in my opinion.

this was actually the best photo i found - after looking for a second

Bill Bailey, despite being kind of weird and notoriously un-witty, is quite intelligent, and overall - one of the most impressive musicians I've ever witnessed.
He was supposedly born with "perfect pitch" - the ability to hear, and recreate a note (by singing or by other means) that is of the same pitch, as well as being able to name it. a trait he first knew he had when he could tell the pitch of his vacuum cleaner hummed at a B flat.

Most people will know who it is I'm talking about. But I'd just like to expand upon what exactly it is Bill Bailey does.
He has become a master of what i call - musical humour.
both lyrically, or just obscenely. By taming evil with the notes of keyboard to things like; taking off the news themes on tv and turning them into songs you might hear at a glow in the dark rave party; or playing around with Mozart's symphonies like toys.
The basic thing is, he takes music and adds a humorous element or strangeness. here's where he's different. unlike those who write songs which clearly aren't funny and frankly embarrassing, or aren't talented enough to pull it off - Bill Bailey makes it work.
and the resulting stomach pains are well worth it when you tell you're friends about it.

he is one of my all time favourite comedians - i had the pleasure of seeing his live show in melbourne recently - and i hope you all enjoy his musical style of comedy.
just go to youtube, and watch lots of videos. you won't regret it.

i leave you with my favourite clip:


~ronan

My Favourite Bootleg

Over the past year, I've become obsessed with downloading live concerts. Some have shitty audio, some have decent audio, and almost all of them feature that dick that thinks it's okay to yell out "Freebird!" after every song. But the following bootleg doesn't have any of that, quite the contrary. It has excellent audio, a very polite and appreciative crowd, and Thom Yorke barking.

On the morning of September 29th of 2003, Thom Yorke and my husband Jonny Greenwood stopped by KROQ in Los Angeles to treat a small crowd of lucky fans to an 11 song acoustic set. Someone sent me the acoustic version of "Lucky" when I was going through my "Lucky is the greatest song ever written" phase last month. I immediately fell in love with it and it's still to this very day my favourite recording on this planet. But what I didn't realize is that a kind person uploaded the entire set to RapidShare. After listening, I named it my favourite bootleg in the history of bootlegs. It's a great little set with brilliant versions of "There There", "No Surprises" and a totally kick ass version of "Go to Sleep". Thom seems to be in a great mood and genuinely enjoying himself. The best part comes during the second song when Thom says to Jonny, "Give me a bit more of that drum machine. Yeah, that's it." Golden!!!

This set is proof of why Radiohead fans get the band's logo tattooed on their bodies. It's also proof of why Thom Yorke and Jonny Greenwood are probably God (and why I'd give up four Tegan and Sara shows to stand in front of them for another 15 minutes). You can download the aforementioned set completely free of legal tangles by clicking here.

E-N-J-O-Y!

hope you and yours are well,
Summer
xx

PS: "A Punchup at a Wedding" is the un-official John McCain/Sarah Palin campaign song.

An Horse

I know that because I run a blog and because my English exit exams scores were in the "advanced" level, I'm supposed to make these well-written and clever posts and normally, I give it the old college try and sometimes, I succeed. But sadly, this is not going to be one of those posts.

On average, I listen to two or three new bands a week and An Horse are without a doubt, the best fucking band I've heard in years. Their EP, Not Really Scared is my most played record of 2008 and they came in second place for my live band of the year award (Radiohead knocked them out of their top spot).

Their debut record "Rearrange Beds" will be available on Mom & Pop records "very, very soon". Until then, you can buy it when you go out and see them during their North American tour with Bishop Allen. Dates, music, and pretty pictures can be found on their MySpace page. I sincerely hope that you give them a second of your time and check them out.

yours..hopefully,
Summer

The King Of Harmony - Josh Pyke

JOSH PYKE - 'Chimney's Afire'



I was hoping before i listened to Chimney's Afire - that i wouldn't have to nominate it for 'most disappointing album' in the triple A's (although i can't say the same for Jack Johnson - a person often compared to our Josh).
First listen - I was a little skeptical, some of the lyrics seemed really drawn out in long sentences, in the traditional Josh Pyke fashion. Some of the strings on most tracks i felt might be more beneficial if they werent featured, and stylistically 'Chimney's Afire' is very predictable.

But it wasnt till you get to the end of the album, and subconsciously - your finger moves the mouse towards the play button once again.

Like previous other Josh Pyke records (if i may: i do suggest "feeding the wolves EP") this most 'recent installment' seems like just that: another chapter, a continuation from the last.
Josh has found a working formula and is sticking to it.
But don't get me wrong, i love a formula - especially when this is result.
A sweet blend of deep, continuing sentences (rather than lines), the light batter of a snare drum, the finger-picked melody of guitar, a strings set, and the most important bit: what josh does best - harmony.
The one area in which he is truly unrivaled, the only voice that can perfectly complement his, is his own.

All aside, Josh Pyke has always been (and will probably remain) a 2nd-glance artist.
Where you don't realise how good he is until you listen to a song twice, or until you realise the depth and honesty of the lyrics.
I hope if ever he makes another album that it will be a little experimental.

If you get the chance, listen to it, most of the album's tracks are on his myspace.

or you could obtain the album by some other means...

~Ronan

Are You Worried? Because...I'm Not.

I'd been avoiding this mix for a while now, hoping that the longer I put it off, the better chance we would have of the state of our country improving. As you all know, it hasn't. The stock market is worse than the new Oasis record (not that I've bother to listen to it); Sarah Palin claimed she can see Russia from her house (it's okay Sarah! I can see Montreal from my bedroom window!), informed us that Jesus could make me straight, that she is a fan of all newspapers, and that baby, she's an anarchist a feminist! On top of all that, everywhere I go there's huge "YES ON PROP 8" billboards and signs. Needless to say, I've never been this scared in my entire life. Every morning when I wake up, I half-heartedly expect that I'll turn on CNN and the headline will be, "Fuck it all, the world's ending!" I mean, I've thought the world was going to end every year of my life since I was 9, but for some reason, it's more plausible than ever.

The only way I've been able beat this feeling is to make a playlist, subscribe to the Rachel Maddow podcast and listen to her every night while playing Scrabble on my iPod.

You can download said mixtape here. Tracklist as follows:
1. LCD Soundsystem- North American Scum
2. Dr. Tchock- The Clock
3. The National- Clampdown (Clash Cover)
4. The Smiths- Panic
5. Chris "Record Producer" Walla- Everybody On
6. Spoon- Don't Make Me a Target
7. Bloc Party- Price of Gas
8. Desaparecidos- The Happiest Place on Earth
9. Joy Division- Day of the Lords
10. Wintersleep- Oblivion
11. Radiohead- Dollars & Cents
12. R.E.M.- I'm Gonna DJ
(there's a little note inside the .zip file. maybe you should read it and perhaps register to vote before the deadline!!)


sail safe and love lovers,
Summer

we listen to the radio sometimes and the politicians and the generals all seem to be okay. they can't commit and often they can't comment either but we often have to do both. when this is over we will watch the news. then the policiticans will be more precise. they will have novel ways of arranging events. everything will be okay, and that will be official. it would be hard, otherwise, to tell what happened.